Peony
Paeonia × lactiflora
Herbaceous peony is a long-lived perennial cut flower ideal for Zones 3-8, producing large, showy blooms for fresh market sales in late spring. Thrives in well-drained soils with chill hours abundant in cool-temperate regions.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Growing Season
- Plant
- Fall (Oct-Dec) – Fall (Oct-Dec)
- Harvest
- Mid-May to June – Mid-May to June
- Frost-free days
- 30+
- GDD (base 50°F)
- 2,000
Yield
- Typical yield
- 40,000 marketable stems/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 20 years
- Years to full prod.
- 3
- Labor
- 1000 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
Emerging crop with growing buyer network
Price Trend Stable/Up
Price trending upward due to growing demand
Supply Below Demand
Strong unmet demand regionally and nationally
Multiple Buyer Channels
Multiple market channels: wholesale, retail, processing, and/or direct
Value-Added Potential
Strong value-added potential through processing, direct sales, or specialty products
Market Growth Projected
Strong market growth projected
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Region's hardiness zone within crop range (3.0-8.0)
GDD Sufficient
Regional GDD (2600) meets crop requirement (2000)
Precipitation Compatible
Regional precipitation (~40 in/yr) compatible with crop needs
Frost-Free Season OK
Frost-free season (160 days) meets crop requirement (30 days)
Chill Hours Met
Regional chill hours (1100) meet crop requirement (500+)
Climate Trend Favorable
Climate projections remain favorable for this crop in the region
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
Some specialized equipment needed but adaptable from existing vineyard infrastructure
Storage Available
Cold storage needed; may require investment
Irrigation Compatible
Irrigation beneficial; existing vineyard irrigation systems adaptable
Field Layout Suitable
Vineyard field layouts suitable for this crop
Labor Availability
High labor requirements; seasonal labor availability may be challenging
Processing Proximity
No nearby specialized processing; may need direct marketing or shipping
Equipment Requirements
irrigation
Virginia Extension recommends drip as a time- and water-saving alternative, run the length of the bed beneath the mulch. Overhead irrigation also worsens foliar disease on saleable stems.
cultivation
Plastic mesh grid raised as plants grow, holding tall species straight. Bent or crooked stems are unsaleable, so support is not optional for most species.
Weed suppression in beds where cultivation between closely spaced stems is impractical.
harvesting
Clean, sharp cuts are required for water uptake; Extension emphasises keeping cutting tools sanitised.
post_harvest
Dedicated, sanitised buckets. Extension stresses cleanliness of buckets, surfaces and coolers as a postharvest control point.
Virginia Extension specifies 35-40°F holding. Options run from built-in-place coolers and prefabricated units to modified refrigerated transport bodies.
Commercial hydrators, conditioners and ethylene inhibitors. Stems are held in acidified water at pH 3.0-5.5.
general
Extension lists deer and rabbits among primary pests. Browsing removes the harvested organ itself, so exclusion is the only reliable control at scale.
Storage Requirements
Fresh cut stems (refrigerated)
Temperature
35–40°F
Max Storage
14 days
Cold conditioning / pre-cooling (dry or wet)
Temperature
35–40°F
Max Storage
1 days
Finance Fit
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue ($180,000/acre) exceeds regional average
Input Costs Acceptable
Annual operating costs ($10,000/acre) are high
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 3 years; acceptable payback
Insurance Available
Federal crop insurance available
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Revenue per labor hour ($180) is competitive
Grants/Subsidies
Grant and subsidy programs available (Specialty Crop Block Grant, EQIP, Beginning Farmer, etc.)
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $5/stem |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $32,000 |
| Annual Operating Cost | $10,000/acre |
| Establishment Cost | $20,000/acre |
| Total Input Cost | —/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | $10,000 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | — |
| Crop Insurance | Available |
Source: Penn State Extension Cut Flower Production; Virginia Tech Specialty Cut Flowers; industry surveys (2025)
Risk Fit
Manageable Pest/Disease
Moderate pest/disease pressure; manageable with available methods
Market Diversified
Market access diversified across multiple channels
Low Establishment Risk
Moderate establishment risk; manageable with planning
Climate Resilient
Moderate climate resilience for the region
Regulatory Burden Low
Minimal regulatory burden for production and sale
Diversifies Portfolio
Diversifies farm revenue away from grape monoculture
Known Risks
disease
Named by Virginia Cooperative Extension as a primary cut-flower disease. Foliar and stem coating renders stems unsaleable outright, since cut flowers are graded almost entirely on appearance.
pest
Colonise buds and stem tips, distorting growth and depositing honeydew and sooty mould. A single visible aphid can reject a bunch at wholesale.
Adults feed directly on open blooms of many cut species during peak summer harvest, causing immediate and total loss of affected stems.
Virginia Extension lists rabbits and deer among the main pests. Browsing removes the harvestable organ itself rather than merely reducing vigour.
environmental
Industry survey work identifies crop timing alongside insect and disease management as the main production problem. Cut flowers must meet dated events; a bloom window missed by a week can lose the entire value of a succession.
Survey work identifies temperature management, hydration and flower-food management as the main postharvest problems. Vase life lost in the first hour after cutting cannot be recovered downstream.
Nutritional Yield
Nutrition data pending.
Research agents will profile Peony against USDA FoodData Central on the next maintenance pass. Per-acre nutritional yield will appear here once the per-100g panel is recorded.
Ecosystem Services
Ecosystem service data pending.
The next research-agent rotation will document this crop's contributions to pollinator support, soil health, water quality, biodiversity, and carbon sequestration.
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Data sourced from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA resources, and regional research.
Economics data year: 2025 · Region: lake_erie View economics source →
1 tracked change across 1 data category